Loom-filling battery



July 23, 1968 P. w. CENEDELLA 3,393,713

LOOM-FILLING BATTERY Filed May 25, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet l ln \O Q INVENTOR. PHILIP CiNEDELLA ATTORNEY July 23, 1968 P. w. cl-:NEDELLA 3,393,713

LOOM-FILLING BATTERY Filed May 25, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PHILIPW. CENaDELLA ATTORNEY July 23, 1968 P. w. CENEDELLA Loom-FILLING BATTERY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 23, 1966 INVENTOR. CfNEDELLA PHILIP VV.

ATTORNEY United States Patent() ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A filling replenishing battery for automatic bobbin changing looms 4having a spring clutch intermediate the bobbin supporting disc elements which is effective after .each bobbin transfer in rotating said elements a distance sufficient to, place the next bobbin in transfer position.

This invention pertains to looms of the fly-shuttle type and more particularly to an improved rotary magazine or lling replenishing battery for such looms.

It is a general Iobject of the invention to provide an improvedzlilling battery for high speed looms which is adapted to advance each successive bobbin supported therein to transfer position at a greater speed than the known forms of illin g replenishing mechanisms in current use.

A further object is that of providing improved filling battery of lightweight construction which is capable of supporting a greater number of wound filling vbobbins therein.

' Another object is that of providing an improved battery which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which requiresV 'a -minimum amount of attention and maintenance. A I v AA still further object is to provide an improved battery having a fewer number of cooperating components and which canbe indexed to present a bobbin to transfer position with less inertia than the known types of batteries of the prior art.

Anotherobject is that ofproviding an improved cooperating thread holder for the battery which is quickly and easily assembled toor removed from the battery without the use of tools.

aFurther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed disclosure. Y

As-is well known to those conversant with the weaving art, the more: commonly known type of rotary bobbin magazine or filling replenishing battery support apl-uralityof vwound bobbins in a circular arrangement between a pair of kspaceddisc members which are provided with aligned pockets having some sort of biasing means for engaging the ends of the bobbins.

Immediately following the transfer of a bobbin from the battery the latter. is rotated by a so-called feed pawl pivoted on the transferrenwhich cooperates with a ratchet-wheel forming apart vofone of thediscs to move the next bobbin into position for transfer when replenishment is again indicated.

This means of rotating the battery to place each successive bobbin intransfer position has functioned satisfactorily, but has presented anl undesirable condition by way of premature wear of certain components such as the pawls and ratchet wheels. :After actuation of the transferrer the feed pawl which is pivoted on the latter places a tremendous impact upon lthe ratchet wheel to rotate the battery the required distance to place the next bobbin in transfer position.

With the ever increasing speeds of present day looms the batteries must be. timed to function accordingly and the wearing of these parts has become more pronounced 3,393,713 Patented July 23, 1968 ICC as is evidenced by mill complaints and the attempts made to design and manufacture these parts to a configuration and from materials which would increase their life expectancy.

The filling replenishing battery according to the instant invention has overcome this wear problem by providing a novel indexing means which does not utilize ratchet wheels and cooperating pawl elements and being substantially lighter by comparison, it has been shown to be a substantially improved filling replenishing means for high speed looms.

The device includes a support member or so-called hopper stand having a centrally disposed shaft member extending therefrom. A sleeve is rotatably assembled on this shaft and includes a pair of dise members disposed in spaced relation rotatable therewith and having provisions for supporting a plurality of wound filling bobbins in a circular arrangement therebetween.

Intermediate the disc members there is provided a spring clutch and a cooperating indexing arm. This arm is pivotably attached at one end to the transferrer and the opposite end is in the form of a hub that is journaled on the aforementioned sleeve. The spring clutch is in the form of a coil spring with the coils thereof being wrapped about the outer surface of the sleeve. One end of the spring is in contact with the indexing arm and when the transferrer is actuated the indexing arm pivots in a direction to expand the coils of the spring clutch making it ineffective upon the sleeve. As the transferrer is returning to its initial position, the pivotable movement -of the indexing arm is such as to cause the coils of the spring clutch to bind upon the sleeve causing rotation of the latter and the disc members carried thereby. The amount of movement by the disc member is suflicient to place the next bobbin supported therebetween in transfer position.

One of the disc members includes a plurality of indentations or pockets disposed in a circular arrangement which are adapted to cooperate with a spring biased pawl that is adapted to limit each increment of advance of said disc members as well as to hold them from retrogressive rotation during bobbin transfer.

The invention will hereinafter be described in greater detail by reference to a specific embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, where- 1n:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation and partially in section of the loom iilling battery according to the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lling battery shown in PIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view and partially in section of a portion of the filling `battery showing the spring biased pawl arrangement for controlling the advance of the disc members as well as to prevent movement thereof during bobbin transfer; and

FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation with one of the disc members removed showing the pivotable connection between the indexing arm and the transferrer as well as the relative position of the spring clutch.

Now referring to FIG. 1 the battery includes among other parts a support member -or so-called hopper stand generally indicated by numeral 10 havinga base portion 11 which provides a means for attaching the unit to the framework of a loom. The hopper stand is provided with a centrally disposed hub 12 and a horizontally extending stud member 13 which is fixedly positioned in said hub by a nut 14 and washer 15.

The general shape of the hopper stand is circular having a dished inner surface 16 and terminates at its outer periphery with a laterally extending circular lip 17 which extends for substantially the entire circumferential extent of said hopper stand.

A greater portion of the stud member 13 extends outwardly from the hopper stands hub 12 and has assembled thereon by means of a nut 18 and washer 19 a rotatable sleeve (FIG. 1). This rotatable sleeve 20 is provided at that end adjacent the hopper stand hub 12 with an integrally formed circular ange 21. Washer 19 which is utilized to retain the sleeve 20 on shaft 13, with the assistance of nut 18, is of the spring bevel type and the degree of tightness of nut 18 will control Ithe freeness with which said sleeve is permitted to rotate. A circular bobbin disc 22 assembles on the sleeve 20 with the central portion thereof in abutting relation with said sleevesI circular flange 21.. This bobbin disc is Iixedly attached to the circular flange 21 4by means of cap screws 23 which pass through radially disposed and equally spaced apertures in said disc with the threaded portions thereof assembling in aligned tapped holes in said flange. The laterally extending circular lip 17 overlies the outer periphery of the bobbin disc and the latter is provided with a plurality of pockets 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that are adapted to support the butts of wound filling bobbins 25. These pockets are disposed in a circular arrangement on one side of the bobbin disc and are open to the outer periphery thereof.

The means for supporting the tip portion of the bobbins comprises a small end disc 26 which is provided with a plurality of spring biased bobbin tip holders 27 (FIG. 1) that are also disposed in a circular arrangement `and are -in alignment with the pockets 24 in the bobbin disc.

The small end disc includes a hub 28 having angularly disposed spokes 29 which support the disc portion thereof in alignment with and in spaced relation to the bobbin disc 22.

The hub 28 of the small end disc is xedly attached to the sleeve 20 by means of set screws 30` (one only shown in FIGS. l and 2) and is positioned adjacent that end opposite the circular flange 21.

A battery indexing arm generally indicated by numeral 31 (FIGS. l, 2 and 4) is assembled for pivotable movement on the sleeve 20 and includes a hub portion 32 which is positioned in close proximity with the bobbin disc 22. This hub portion 32 is maintained in close proximity with the bobbin disc by means of flanged buttons 33 which assemble beneath the heads of cap screws 23 and are arranged so that a portion of the flanges thereof are within a circumferential groove 34 provided in said hub portion 32.

The indexing arm itself is identified in FIGS. 2 and 4 by numeral 3S and being formed integral with the hub 32 it extends generally downwardly therefrom. The lower part of this arm is provided with an elongated slot 36 which extends for substantially half the distance of the longitudinal extent of said arm. A guide member 37 made from a wear resistant material is positioned for sliding movement within the slot 36 and includes a centrally disposed and laterally extending stud 38. The opposite end of this stud 38 is fixedly attached to the transferrer 39 by means of a nut 40 and lock nut 41 (FIG. 2). The transferrer itself is more or less of conventional design and includes the usual transferrer fork 42, the supporting stud 43 and the coil spring and collar 44 land 45 for returning said transferrer to its initial position after actuation thereof.

A clutch member generally indicated by numeral 46 which is in the form of an expansion and contraction type of coil spring is constrictingly assembled on the sleeve 20 intermediate the hub 32 of the indexing arm 31 and the hub 28 of the small end disc 26. One end of this spring is attached to the upper portion of the indexing arm 35 Iby means of a cap screw 47 and the opposite end extends generally upwardly away from the sleeve 20 `and terminates with a formed loop 48.

Referring now to FIG. 4, when the transferrer is caused to pivot to ,the phantom line position shown in this figure of drawing while performing its intended function, the guide member 37 moves downwardly within the slot 36 of the indexing arm and pivots the latter in an anticlockwise direction to the phantom line position illustrated. Movement of the indexing arm in this direction causes the rst few coils of the spring clutch member nearest its point of attachment to said indexing arm to expand, or in `other words to move lin a direction of being unwrapped from the sleeve 20 which they encircle. Movement of the indexing arm in this direction is not great enough to affect lall of the coils of the spring clutch and those not affected remain in constricting relation with the sleeve 20. Movement of the transferrer back to its initial position or the solid line position depicted in FIG. 4, causes the guide member 37 to move upwardly in the slot 36 of the indexing arm which pivots the latter to the solid line position shown. The commencement of this movement immediately creates a binding `action of the several coils of the clutch member 46 on the outer surface of the sleeve 20 causing said sleeve to rotate with the movement of the indexing arm. The bobbin disc 22 and small end disc 26 being fixedly attached to the sleeve 20 are also caused to rotate with said sleeve and move a distance which positions the next bobbin supported thereby in transfer position. The loop 48 of the clutch member is adapted to -be depressed manually which expands the several coils of the clutch and permits the sleeve and disc members to be rotated by hand.

To assure an accurate positioning of the bobbin disc at the end of each increment of advance by the indexing arm, and to hold the disc members from retrogressive rotation during bobbin transfer, a bobbin disc locking arrangement is provided on the upper portion of the hopper stand 10 and is identified generally in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 by numeral 49. This locking arrangement includes a support bracket 50 which las shown in FIG. l is suitably mounted on a horizontal surface 51 that forms a part of the upper and outer surface of the hopper stand 10.

A pawl member which is in the form of a double armed lever and identified generally by numeral 52 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to the support bracket 50 by means of a cap screw 53. The outer arm of this pawl is depicted by numeral 54 (FIG. 3) and is provided with an integrally formed rand upwardly directed latch 55.

The second or inner arm of the pawl is in the form of an arcuated shoe land is identified by numeral 56.

As shown in FIG. l this second arm is adapted to extend through an ealigned aperture 57 in the hopper stand 10 and `to engage one of a plurality of indentations or pockets 58 of conforming configuration which are disposed in a circular arrangement yon that side of the bobbin disc opposite the side which supports the butts of the bobbins 25. The number of pockets 58 are equal in number to the number of bobbin butt pockets 24 and are arranged to be engaged successively by the pawl at each increment of advance of the bobbin disc. The pawl member itself is spring biased, that is to Say, the inner arm 56 is continually urged in the direction of the pockets 58. This biasing force is provided by means of a coil spring 59 (FIGS. l and 3) one end of which is attached to a lug 60 that forms an integral part of the pawl and the opposite end attaches to a lug 61 which forms part of the support bracket 50.

When the pawl member 52 is in the solid line position shown in FIG. 3, the coil spring 59 maintains the biasing force upon the second arm 56.

To disengage the pawl, it is simply pivoted manually by means of the latch 5S to the phantom line position shown in FIG. 3. When the pawl is moved past the disengaged position, the lug 60 is moved beyond the point of allowing spring 59 to contract and the change in direction of pull by said spring keeps the pawl member disengaged until it is manually pushed to the solid line position shown.

FIGS. l and 2 illustrate the thread guide of the battery which includes a rim 62 having a plurality of recesses 63 disposed therearound which are in alignment with the bobbin tip holders 27 in the small end disc 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, rim 62 is supporte-d in spaced alignment with the small end disc by bracket members 64. The thread guide further includes a centrally disposed hub 65 having integrally formed spokes 66 extending therefrom which interconnect with the rim 62. Addiltionally the hub 65 of the thread guide includes a centrally located stud member 65 which extends horizontally from said hub and in axial alignment with the stud member 13 that supports the sleeve member 20. This stud member 65 is adapted to receive thereon a flanged thread holder generally indicated by numeral 67. That portion of the thread holder most remote from the thread guide is flared as at 68 and the opposite end 69 is adapted to be received by the hub 65 of the thread guide which is of conforming configuration.

The novel means of quickly assembling or removing the thread guide from the stud 65 comprises a coil spring 70 having an inside `diameter slightly less than the outside diameter of said stud 65. One end of this spring is attached to the outer end of the thread holder -by means of a cap screw 71 (FIG. l) and the opposite end thereof extends outwardly from the coils and terminates in a loop 72.

Loop 72 is adapted to be depressed manually which expands the coils of the spring and when assembled onto stud 65 this loop -is released and the coils immediately impart a binding force on the outer surface of said stud thereby preventing any rotational or longitudinal movement of the thread holder. To remove the thread hol-der one simply depresses loop 72 to expand the coils and then slides the holder endwise olf of the stud 65.

In operation, the bobbins are supported in a known manner between the 'bobbin disc 22 and the small end disc 26 and a length of filling yarn from each bobbin extends through its respective recess `63` in the thread guide with the end thereof being Wrapped about the thread holder 67. During each bobbin transfer, the indexing arm 31 is pivoted a short distance in an anticlockwise direction as reviewed in FIG. 4 of the drawings. This movement expands the coils of the clutch member 46 permitting no rotational movement of the sleeve and the disc members supported thereby.

As the transferrer commences to return to its initial position, the indexing arm starts to move in a clockwise direction and the coils of the clutch member 46 immediately impart a -binding force upon the outer surface of the sleeve 20 rotating the same and the disc members carried thereby a distance which places the next bobbin in transfer position. During this increment of advance, the pawl member 52 is forced out of engagement with the pocket 58 which corresponded to 'the newly transferred bobbin and is then forced into engagement with the next pocket 58 that corresponds to the next bobbin to be transferred when replenishment lis again indicated. Pawl member 52 and pockets 58 assure an accurate positioning of each bobbin when advanced to transfer position and prevent retrogressive movement of the disc members during bobbin transfer.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of Ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A filling replenishing battery for automatic bobbin changing looms adapted to retain a plurality of wound filling bobbins in circular arrangement which comprises,

(a) a support member having a centrally disposed shaft member extending therefrom,

(b) a sleeve member rotatable on said shaft,

(c) a pair of aligned disc members disposed in spaced relation on and rotatable with said sleeve including radially disposed and aligned means for retaining wound bobbins therebetween,

(d) a pivotable transferrer having cooperating means for rotating sai-d disc members a predetermined distance after each bobbin transfer,

(e) said cooperating means including an indexing arm pivotably attached to said transferrer and having a hub portion journaled on said sleeve,

(f) a spring clutch having a plurality of coils constrictingly encircling said sleeve with one end thereof extending outwardly and terminating in a loop free from contact with the sleeve and the opposite end thereof in engagement with said indexing arm whereby movement of `the latter in one direction `is effective in expanding the coils adjacent the opposite end of said spring clutch and movement in the opposite directions introduces a binding contraction of said coils upon said sleeve rotating the latter and discs affixed thereto to place the next bobbin in transfer position.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said cooperating means further includes a ratcheting means for limiting the rotation `of said disc members to increments of a distance to position each successive bobbin in transfer position, said ratcheting means including a spring biased pawl mounted on said support mem-ber and a plurality of indentations disposed in a circular arrangement on one of said discs adapted to be engaged by said pawl.

3. The mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said spring biased pawl includes an integrally formed latch for manually releasing the same from engagement with said indentations.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said spring clutch includes a release means for permitting manual rotation of said disc members which includes a second depressible end extending in a plane normal to the longitudinal extent of said sleeve.

5. A filling replenishing battery for automatic bobbin changing looms adapted to retain a plurality of wound filling -bobbins in circular arrangement which comprises,

(a) .a support member having a centrally disposed shaft member extending therefrom,

(b) a sleeve member rotatable on said shaft,

(c) a parir of aligned disc members disposed in spaced relation on and rotatable with said sleeve including radially disposed and aligned pockets for retaining Wound bobbins therebetween,

(d) a thread guide attached in spaced relations to one of said disc members having a centrally disposed stud member extending therefrom,

(e) a thread holder engageable with said stud member,

(f) a locking spring having one end thereof fixedly attached to said stud member, said spring having a plurality of coils encompassing said stud with the opposite end thereof having a manual releasing means, and

(g) said manual releasing means defining a laterally extending depressible tip for expanding said plurality of coils thereby providing means for instant assembly of said thread holder on and removal from said stud member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 390,029 9/1888 Lombard 192-415 753,054 2/1904 Edwards 139-250 2,159,828 5/1939 Wiget 139-250 2,525,148 10/1950 Rinne et al. 139-250 HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner. 

